The loss hurts. And for the Lions, it may linger: two starters on their already-thin defense suffered likely season-ending injuries in Sunday's 48-42 defeat to the Bills.
First, top cornerback Carlton Davis III went down with a jaw injury. Then, star defensive tackle Alim McNeill went down with a right knee injury.
McNeill was visibly frustrated limping off the field and was eventually carted to the locker room. He injured the same knee last season. He walked out of the locker room after the game with crutches.
Dan Campbell said after the Lions' 48-42 loss that he'll "know more tomorrow, don’t feel good about either of those guys. Normally, if I’m saying I don’t feel good, that means not good for the rest of the year. So, don’t feel good about it."
Detroit also lost backup cornerback and special teams standout Khalil Dorsey to a season-ending ankle injury, Campbell said. Dorsey had his leg put in an air cast before he was carted off the field in an injury similar to the fractured leg that Aidan Hutchinson suffered earlier this season.
The Lions surrendered 559 yards of offense and never had an answer for Josh Allen, who accounted for four touchdowns.
They will be further compromised without McNeill and Davis moving forward. They're already missing several defensive linemen and played Sunday without four of their top five linebackers. Myles Adams and Brodric Martin could see more work in place of McNeill, while Kindle Vildor and Emmanuel Mosely are next in line at corner.
There's no immediate help on the way, so the answers will have to come from the healthy bodies within as Detroit chases the No. 1 seed in the NFC down the stretch.